The Internet is increasingly being used to conduct “electronic commerce.” The Internet comprises a vast number of computers and computer networks that are interconnected through communications links that facilitate electronic communications between vendors and purchasers. Electronic commerce refers generally to commercial transactions that are at least partially conducted using the computer systems of the parties to the transactions. For example, a purchaser can use a personal computer to connect via the Internet to a vendor's computer. The purchaser can then interact with the vendor's computer to conduct the transaction. Although many of the commercial transactions that are performed today could be performed via electronic commerce, the acceptance and widespread use of electronic commerce depends, in large part, upon the ease of use of conducting such electronic commerce and its advantages over more conventional means of commerce. If electronic commerce can be easily conducted and provides significant advantages, then users will choose to use electronic commerce. Therefore, it is important that techniques be developed that facilitate conducting electronic commerce and that provide advantages over conventional commerce.
The Internet provides a network that facilitates conducting electronic commerce because it uses standardized techniques for exchanging information. Many standards have been established for exchanging information over the Internet, such as electronic mail, Gopher, and the World Wide Web (“WWW”). The WWW service allows a server computer system (i.e., web server or web site) to send graphical web pages of information to a remote client computer system. The remote client computer system can then display the web pages. Each resource (e.g., computer or web page) of the WWW is uniquely identifiable by a Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”). To view a specific web page, a client computer system specifies the URL for that web page in a request (e.g., a HyperText Transfer Protocol (“HTTP”) request). The request is forwarded to the web server that supports that web page. When that web server receives the request, it sends that web page to the client computer system. When the client computer system receives that web page, it typically displays the web page using a browser. A browser is typically a special-purpose application program that effects the requesting of web pages and the displaying of web pages.
Currently, web pages are generally defined using HyperText Markup Language (“HTML”). HTML provides a standard set of tags that define how a web page is to be displayed. When a user indicates to the browser to display a web page, the browser sends a request to the server computer system to transfer to the client computer system an HTML document that defines the web page. When the requested HTML document is received by the client computer system, the browser displays the web page as defined by the HTML document. The HTML document contains various tags that control the displaying of text, graphics, controls, and other features. The HTML document may contain URLs of other web pages available on that server computer system or other server computer systems.
The WWW portion of the Internet is especially conducive to conducting electronic commerce. Many web servers have been developed through which vendors can advertise and sell product. The products can include items (e.g., music) that are delivered electronically to the purchaser over the Internet and items (e.g., books) that are delivered through conventional distribution channels (e.g., a common carrier). A server computer system may provide an electronic version of a catalog that lists the available items. The items may be organized into categories and subcategories so that a user can browse the categories to find an item of interest. A user, who is a potential purchaser, may browse through the catalog using a browser and select various items for purchase. When the user has completed selecting the items to be purchased, the server computer system then prompts the user for information to complete the ordering of the items. This purchaser-specific order information may include the purchaser's name, a credit card number, and a shipping address for the order. The server computer system then typically confirms the order by sending a confirming web page to the client computer system and schedules shipment of the items.
Although the use of the WWW is expanding rapidly because it facilitates the buying and selling of goods through electronic commerce, the WWW also makes easily accessible vast amounts of information that are not directly related to electronic commerce. For example, a public library may make its catalog of books available through the WWW. A person can browse through the catalog to identify available books on a certain topic. As another example, various news reporting organizations are publishing stories on the WWW. The news reporting organizations may or may not charge a fee for accessing their stories. Whether or not a fee is charged, the news reporting organizations may derive revenue from advertisements provided when a story is accessed.
In general, the providers of web sites want to encourage access to their web sites because, for example, they may derive revenue from such access (e.g., advertising revenues) or the access advances their goal of disseminating information (e.g., a library catalog).
When a user locates information on the WWW, the user may want to share the information with other users or obtain additional information from other users. For example, some web sites allow users to write reviews about items, such as books, that are being offered for sale. Other users can then read the reviews in hopes of making a more informed decision whether or not to purchase the item. Such reviews, however, are not interactive. A user who reads a review cannot easily ask a follow-up question of the reviewer or add follow-up comments of their own. In addition, reviews may reflect a reviewer's position several days or weeks ago and may not reflect current assessment of a product. For example, a reviewer may have indicated two months ago that a certain book was the best book on the market but now believes that a newer book is better. It would be desirable to have a mechanism that would allow users to exchange information about items or categories in real time. In addition, it would be desirable for a web site to provide additional information to the users that is related to the topic of their information exchange.